Was your child injured in St. Louis, Missouri? If so, you may be confused about your legal rights and how you can protect your child in this situation. An experienced St. Louis child injury lawyer from Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers can sit down with your family to discuss the situation and how we can help.
Our personal injury law firm has over 30 years of combined experience. For more than two decades, we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. Contact us today at (636) 519-0085 to review your case in detail.
How Can a St. Louis Child Injury Lawyer Help Our Family?
Child injuries can be devastating events. They can cause permanent disabilities that forever alter lives, limiting your child’s potential to achieve their dreams. They can cause psychological trauma that your child endures for years to come and result in serious injuries that hinder their self-esteem or affect their development.
An experienced St. Louis personal injury attorney can serve as your child’s legal advocate, fighting for meaningful compensation that acknowledges the full extent of their losses. Our lawyers can handle every aspect of the personal injury claim, including:
- Evaluation: Our legal team can review the circumstances of your case to determine if you have a viable legal claim.
- Investigation: Our investigative team gathers evidence to prove how the accident happened and who is at fault.
- Damages assessment: Our legal team works with medical and economic experts who can assess the long-term impact of the injuries on your child’s life and future.
- Claims management: Our child injury attorneys can handle communications with insurance companies, submit paperwork, and file your legal claims.
- Negotiations: We prepare demand letters and negotiate for maximum compensation.
Call us today to speak to an experienced lawyer about your case.
Common Causes of Child Injuries
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), thousands of children die in unintentional accidents annually. Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers represents individuals injured in the following types of accidents:
- Car accidents: In 2021, 1,184 children were killed, and another 162,298 were injured in car accidents in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Children’s smaller bodies make them more vulnerable to serious injuries in motor vehicle accidents.
- Bicycle accidents: The NHTSA reports that 38 children were killed and 5,137 were injured in bicycle accidents in 2021. Our legal team can investigate your case to determine who is responsible for your child’s injuries.
- Truck accidents: When children are involved in truck accidents, they may suffer serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and more. Our personal injury lawyers can help fight for compensation that acknowledges the long-lasting impact of these injuries on your child.
- Pedestrian accidents: The NHTSA reports 176 children were killed and 5,106 children were injured in pedestrian accidents involving motor vehicles in 2021. Our experienced lawyers can identify the at-fault party and fight for the compensation you deserve.
- Accidents Involving Defective Products: Children’s products, including toys, food, clothing, and furniture, can cause injuries. When they do, you need an experienced product liability lawyer who can identify your legal options for financial recovery.
- Premises liability accidents: Our lawyers can help if your child was injured on someone else’s property due to accidents such as swimming pool incidents, dog bites, slip and falls, and more.
You can trust that our team will conduct a thorough investigation to determine your legal rights following an injury to your child.
Who Is Responsible for My Child’s Injuries?
Most child injury claims are based on negligence, which means the defendant:
- Owed your child a duty of care to prevent their injury
- Breached their duty of care
- Caused their injuries
- Caused your child or family to suffer damages
Under this legal framework, various parties could be responsible for your child’s injuries, including:
- Motorists
- Bicyclists
- Dog owners
- Property owners
- Businesses
- Public establishments
- Schools and daycares
- Coaches and program directors
- Product manufacturers
Our experienced attorneys can investigate your case to identify all parties who may be responsible for your child’s injuries.
What Financial Compensation Can We Recover in a Child Injury Claim?
At Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers, we understand that what you want most of all is for the accident to have never occurred so your child didn’t have to endure a painful injury. We can’t reverse time, but we can seek to hold negligent parties responsible for their actions and minimize the financial burden their negligence has on your family. In Missouri, various types of damages, including economic and non-economic damages, can be awarded in a child injury case.
Economic damages compensate for the monetary losses your family endures because of the accident, such as:
- Medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Lost income and benefits
- Reduced earning capacity
- Other financial losses
Our experienced lawyers can gather receipts, bills, invoices, records, and other documentation to help establish the value of these losses.
On the other hand, non-economic damages are much more personal and difficult to quantify. Non-economic damages provide compensation for losses such as:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental health challenges, including PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, and depression
- Sleep problems
- Loss of use
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Permanent impairment and disability
Punitive damages are rare but also possible. They are only awarded in court cases in Missouri when the plaintiff shows by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant intentionally harmed the victim “without just cause or acted with a deliberate and flagrant disregard for the safety of others.” Our knowledgeable legal team can review the circumstances of your child’s injury and explain if these damages may be available.
Because insurance companies like to downplay these losses to protect their bottom line, it’s important you work with a lawyer who is skilled at demonstrating the significance of these losses.
What Is Our Legal Claim Worth?
Every legal claim is different. The potential value of a personal injury claim depends on various factors, including:
- The nature and severity of the injury
- How the injury affects the victim
- The long-term impact of the injury and whether the injury affects the victim’s ability to work
- The identity and number of people responsible for the injury
- Insurance coverage available
- Whether the victim contributed to their injuries
An experienced lawyer can conduct an in-depth analysis to determine your case’s value.
What if My Child Is Being Blamed for the Accident?
Even when children are involved, insurance companies may try to get out of paying a fair settlement by blaming the victim. However, the law recognizes that children are still growing and may not appreciate risks as adults would. For example, under circumstances where a trespasser may have no legal recourse for an injury on someone else’s property, a child injured under similar circumstances may have a legal claim if they were injured due to an attractive nuisance on the property.
Even if your child contributed to the accident, Missouri follows a pure comparative negligence system, so your child could still file a claim for damages even if they were mostly at fault for the accident. However, their damages are reduced by their degree of fault.
How Long Do I Have To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Missouri Following a Child Injury?
Missouri’s general statute of limitations is five years for personal injury claims. However, in some cases, the statute of limitations does not begin to run until the child turns 21 or until their 20th birthday, depending on the type of case. You may also wish to assert the claim on your child’s behalf sooner so you can secure the compensation you will need to pay for medical expenses and other losses. An experienced lawyer can review the circumstances of your case and explain the deadline that applies.
Contact Our St. Louis Child Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
The compassionate St. Louis child injury lawyers with Roach Law Car Accident Lawyers want to help your family during this challenging time. Call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to explore your legal options and take the first step toward securing justice for your child.
